The overactive imagination behind novels World War Z, The Zombie Survival Guide, and The Harlem Hellfighters has been tapped to pen a Minecraft book.

During the weekend's annual Minecon 2016, fanboy and author Max Brooks announced that he is working on the upcoming paperback, titled Minecraft: The Island.

The book follows a hero "stranded in an unfamiliar land, with unfamiliar rules, learning to survive against tremendous odds," Mojang's Marsh Davies described in a blog post. "Think cuboid Robinson Crusoe, but madder."

Son of famous show biz duo director Mel Brooks and actress Anne Bancroft, Brooks's writing focuses heavily on zombie stories. But now he's trading rotting flesh for pixelated blocks.

"From our first meeting with Max, we knew he would be a perfect fit for our first foray into novels based on Minecraft," Lydia Winters, Mojang brand director, said in a statement. "His enthusiasm and understanding of all things related to the game bring out the sense of wonder and possibility that so many players love about Minecraft—ourselves included."

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"I'm very excited to be part of this new venture," Brooks said. "Finally I can justify all those hours I've spent playing Minecraft."

Details about the story, to be published by Del Rey Books (a branch of Ballantine Books, owned by Penguin Random House) are scant. Del Rey associate publisher Keith Clayton, however, spilled the beans that Minecraft: The Island will indeed be the first in a series of novels.

Over the summer, Mojang revealed that the Minecraft movie will debut on May 24, 2019 in 2D, 3D, and IMAX. Next up is a film based on Fruit Ninja, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Produced by Tripp Vinson (Journey to the Center of the Earth) and written by J.P. Lavin and Chad Damiani (How to Survive a Garden Gnome Attack), the flick features a team of misfits tapped to become Fruit Ninjas in order to save the world.

About the Author

Stephanie joined PCMag in May 2012, moving to New York City from Frederick, Md., where she worked for four years as a multimedia reporter at the second-largest daily newspaper in Maryland. She interned at Baltimore magazine and graduated from Indiana University of Pennsylvania (in the town of Indiana, in the state of Pennsylvania) with a degree in ... See Full Bio

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